Hot Topics:

James Holmes’ Death Trap: Inside The ‘Dark Knight’ Shooter’s Apartment

471

Shares

Email this story to a friend

Getty

James Holmes, the man who reportedly shot over 70 people and killed 12 at a Dark Knight Rises midnight showing, appears to have wanted more than just the attendees at that showing to suffer at his hands.

Why? Because the 24-year-old former neuroscience PhD’s apartment, according to investigators, has been booby trapped with explosives, seemingly in anticipation of a police investigation. ABC News reports:

In an ironic, but horrifying twist, Holmes did such a good job of booby trapping his apartment and arming it against intrusion that police are now saying they may send robots in to diffuse all the weapons. CNN reports on this superhero movie-esque turn of events:

It is possible authorities may wind up using robots to blow up the booby traps and explosives inside the shooting suspect’s apartment because it may be too dangerous to send people in to do it, a law enforcement source tells CNN’s Susan Candiotti.

A decision isn’t expected until tomorrow about entering the apartment, the source said.

“There’s so much circuitry and collapsing circuits, it’s a difficult process,” the source said.

Robots were sent in during the day and investigators, including explosives technicians, are going over all the information gathered from those robots.

No pictures have been released of Holmes’ apartment, or the dangers therein, even though surveillance robots were sent in earlier to videotape the scene. However, early reports suggest that large jars of chemicals have been connected to trip wires, though which chemicals are involved is not clear. Mortar rounds, ie explosive shells, are rumored to also be in the apartment. Neighbors are being evacuated from the building as a precaution in case one or more of the explosive traps is set off by investigators.

If early reports suggesting Holmes intended to pass as “the Joker” are accurate, then this behavior is disturbingly consistent with that character, as depicted in Chris Nolan’s second Batman movie, “The Dark Knight.” Several acts of seemingly motiveless random violence are perpetrated in “the Dark Knight,” and the character shows an affinity for using elaborately wired bombs and/or explosives.

And indeed, like his supposed fictional counterpart, Holmes has apparently refused to cooperate with investigators, invoking his right to an attorney shortly after being arrested. He has not provided any information on the type of explosives in the room, nor offered to help with disarming them. It is not clear how he acquired the scientific know-how to so extensively booby trap his living space.